Barcelona head to Turin on Wednesday to face Juventus in the UEFA Champions League for one of the most highly-anticipated group stage matches in years, though the Americans are on the bench. It could've been Lionel Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo once again, though Ronaldo continues to test positive for coronavirus. The two teams are in Group G and both opened the competition with victories as Barca beat Ferencvaros 5-1 and Juve beating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0. The winner of this one takes control of first place.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Stadium -- Turin, Italy
- Live stream: CBS All Access
- Odds: Juve +165; Draw +240; Barcelona +165 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
- Live updates: Barca vs. Juve
You can stream every match on CBS All Access. Sign up now and enjoy one week of CBS All Access for free ahead of the opening match. Every match will be available on demand shortly after the final whistle.
If keeping track of every match at the same time is your cup of tea, make sure you tune into "The Golazo Show," CBS Sports' live whip-around show on group stage matchdays. "The Golazo Show" will keep avid soccer fans in the loop by featuring every goal each matchday on CBS Sports Network and CBS All Access with coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on matchdays.
If you missed action from the previous day, check out "The Champions Club," featuring Jules Breach, Julien Laurens and "The Beast" Ade Akinfenwa. It's the ultimate nightly highlights show for fans of the Champions League on CBS All Access.
So who should you back in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the money line has all the value in every UEFA Champions League match, all from the proprietary European soccer model that's up an eye-popping 13,800 percent.
Storylines
Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo won't play. He tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 13 while with the Portugal national team, and he missed the weekend draw with Verona in Serie A. He reportedly tested positive again within 24 hours of kickoff, though Juventus have not formally confirmed his unavailability. With him, they have a great shot at winning against a Barca team that is struggling, but without him they will rely on Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata, who didn't get the job done on Sunday.
Barcelona: Ronaldo Koeman is hoping that poor domestic form doesn't carry over into UCL. Barca have lost back-to-back La Liga games, scoring one goal total in the last 180 minutes, and the last loss was in El Clasico against Real Madrid. The team is lacking ideas, sharpness and cohesion in the final third, and this will be their biggest test of the season so far. Barca will be without centerback Gerard Pique for this game after his late red card against Ferencvaros.
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Prediction
Juve take command of the group without the services of their best player. Pick: Juventus 2, Barcelona 1
